Today was another of my bigger programs. It was a two-hour series of activities, or library related sports, so the teens could feel like they were in a mini-Olympics.

The first activity was a race to see who could open the most CD-security cases in a minute. each case gave them a point toward their all-around score. We have a little key that goes into the case and opens it up.

Next up was the bookcart curling. It is modeled after curling, and event in the Winter Olympics. Each of the teens got three chances to push the book cart into an area in the parking lot just in front of our dumpster. There are a nice series of lines painted there. Each contestent earned points based on where the cart stopped and the location of the four wheels, giving 1, 2, or no points for each wheel.

We then went back into the library where they participated in a shelving test. I had pulled a series of teen novels. They were randomized in a certain order. Each was given 2 minutes to put them all in alphabetical order by the last name of the authors. They got two points for each correct book, and lost a point for each correct point.

We then moved into one of the hallways to do the paperback toss. This was all put together with paperbacks that were discarded or donated to the library and were in really rough shape. They were set to be put in the recycling bins. The kids were given two minutes to toss as many papersbacks (one at a time) into a mail bin.

Then, we had a head-to-head race for the kids. They got a chance to stamp date-due cards. They were really excited about the fact that we were going to be using the cards in the next couple of days. They were each given 2 minutes to stamp as many cards as they could. They got two points for each good stamp, and lost a point for each cards stamped poorly.

We ended up the contests with the online library catelog. They ahd to do a search for three different books to find an answer. Finding the answer awarded the player with 5 points, and the first one to find the answer got an extra point for a total of 6 points.

At the end, everyone got the same prizes: a bungee watch, one of those rubber bracelets, and a temporary tattoo. They all seemed to have a great time.